


On the Hunt

by Tando



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Birds of Prey (Comic), Gotham (TV), Huntress (Comics), Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, Drama, Family Drama, Friendship, Gen, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-22 19:56:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2519864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tando/pseuds/Tando
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Helena Bertinelli is the daughter of prominent mob boss Guido Bertinelli. After the death of the Waynes, a hit is put on the entire Bertinelli family. Determined to find out who's behind this, Helena will enlist in the help of Bruce Wayne, Selena Kyle, and many others to help her investigation. But, as she begins to discover her family's secrets, are they really worth saving?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Only in Gotham

   Helena Bertinelli, an orderly, quiet twelve year old girl with long raven hair sits patiently in the foyer, playing with the folds of her royal purple dress. Her father is in the other room with one of his business associates, and an intense conversation takes place behind the wood and glass door separating his office and the foyer. He’d promised her that he’d take her to lunch today, perhaps that isn’t happening.

The glass door is pushed open and a large, balding man storms out,

“I’m telling you Guido, if Thomas and Martha can be hit, anyone is open.” he warns, pointing to him. He sees Helena, and gives a half-hearted smile, reaching down with his large hand and rubbing her head, “Hey there sweetheart.”

“Hi Uncle Salvatore.” she replies politely, her eyes wide and innocent. Salvatore Maroni isn’t really her uncle, but she’s not quite sure what else to call him.

Guido Bertinelli, a tall, dark-haired man with a stern expression exits his office to see Maroni interacting with his daughter. Maroni looks up from Helena to Guido, “If you care for this little girl here...you’ll get the hell out of town.”

“Don’t you dare bring Helena into this. She’s got nothing to do with thi-”

“Do you think they’re going to care who’s innocent or not? Thomas and Martha’s kid got off lucky, yours, might not be as lucky.” he threatens, his voice calm but menacing.

He walks out of foyer, followed by several equally large men who Helena can only guess are his henchmen.

Guido bends down on one knee, looking Helena in the eye, “You say nothing, okay? Uncle Salvatore was just...upset. He didn’t mean any of those things-”

“Father, is Bruce going to be alright?” she asks him.

He looks away for a second, even though nobody else is in the room with them, “Wha...what happened to Bruce’s family was a terrible, horrible thing, but, but I think he’ll be alright.You know him, he’s a good kid. And I can promise you, that’ll never happen to Mother and me, alright? Okay?”

She nods, “Of course Father.”

He smiles, patting her on the arm, “Okay then, how about lunch at Angelo’s, and then we can go to that new circus in town, sound good?”

She smiles, getting up from her seat, “Yes!”

   Helena and her father get into their chauffeured car after their lunch. Guido reaches over and taps the driver on the shoulder, “To Haly’s Circus please.”

The driver nods, and starts off as Guido sits down, “Helena,” he gestures to the driver, “I want you to meet someone. This is Sal, your new bodyguard.”

The woman driving the car lowers her sunglasses and smiles at Helena through the rearview mirror. Helena waves to her, before methodically folding her hand back on top of her lap, where her hands always seem to be when not in use.

“Whenever you’re in the house and I’m not around, Sal is going to be taking care of you.” Guido explains, “Due to...recent events, I’m going to be busier. Out more, on business, of course.”

“Okay Father.” she nods, almost robotically.

He rustles her hair with his hand, “That’s my girl.”

The car arrives in front of a vast fairground in a usually empty lot in Gotham’s Theatre District. In any other city, Haly’s Circus would appear bright, and cheerful, but in Gotham, the atmosphere of the city itself makes the happy circus seem dark, dreary, and ominous.

Helena holds her father’s hand as they make their way to the main tent. Sal keeps close to them, but tries to stay out of sight, blending in with the general crowd. They take their seats as the lights in the circus come on, and a man in a white-and-red striped suit takes center-stage,

“Greetings, and welcome to Haly’s Circus! Today we have a special treat for you all! Introducing...an act like this never seen before...two famous acrobatic legends, all in one spectacular, extravaganza! Please give it up for...Grayson and Swenson, the Flying Duo!”

The crowd cheers as two acrobats, a man and a woman, appear at the top of the circus tent, where small landing platforms and various hoops have been set up for them. Guido pulls out a pair of binoculars and hands them to his daughter, “Here, use these. You’ll be able to see the show better with them.”

“Thank you Father.” she thanks, taking them and looking up with them.

She watches as the man takes off, diving down and catching the first hoop, holding onto it and swinging with it. She looks down and notices there’s no net to catch them if they were to fall. She looks back up at the act and sees that instead of swinging through to the other side, the woman is now diving down toward the man. He bends over the hoop and catches her with his hand, letting her swing before releasing her, letting her glide up to the top, and he follows her soon after.

Helena and her father applaud as the performers take a bow. They’re just about to begin again when gunshots ring throughout, popping holes into the tent. People in the circus scream, and everyone starts making a panicked escape as the shooting continues. Grabbing Helena by the arm, Guido keeps to the side at the the top of the stairs and tries to get out along with the crowd. One of the shooters spots them, and points to Guido. They then direct their fire towards them, as Guido and Helena hit the ground, getting behind the circus seats for cover. Through the seats, Helena watches as three of the six shooters are taken out by another gun. She looks up and sees Sal is right by them, returning fire. She stands to fire at the two men who’re closing in on them. Helena realizes, where’s the third man? She darts her head left and right, her heart races as she sees him creeping up behind her father and Sal. She scrambles toward Sal, but Sal stands to fire at the other two. The man reaches the top of the stairs and aims his gun at her father. Quickly, Helena sees a spare gun in Sal’s holster. She grabs it, much to Sal’s surprise, “Hey, kid!”

Helena takes aim, and fires, hitting the man square in the chest, and knocking him to the ground.


	2. Family Meeting

   Helena drops the gun as quickly as she’d picked it up, the loud gunshot ringing in her ear. Sal picks the gun back up and escorts Guido and Helena out of the circus tent. Helena glances around, and sees several men and women dead on the ground, blood fertilizing the dirt ground.

“Don’t look, Helena, just keep walking.” Guido encourages, wrapping his arm around her.

They make it out of the circus and into their car. Sal starts up the car and steps on the gas, sending them speeding off.

“Helena, what you did was very dangerous, do you understand that?” Guido asks his daughter, clasping her shoulders.

She nods furiously, “He...he was going to shoot you Father.”

“Next time, you let Sal do her job, okay?”

She continues to nod, but she soon stops to pause, “Father, were those men coming after us?” she asks, still holding the binoculars he’d given her.

“It’s hard to say, but you really shouldn’t be worrying yourself about those kinds of things.” he assures her, “Daddy can handle this.” he pulls Helena in to hug her as she begins to quietly sob into her father’s shirt, “You were very brave dear, very brave.”

They reach the Bertinelli manor in record time, one of the many sprawling estates surrounding Gotham City. It’s quite jarring, that such a rundown and decrepit city is surrounded by all of these luxurious mansions, with yards of green grass and open gardens to compliment the main house.

They enter the house through the main doors of cedar wood and glass, Sal making sure to lock them behind them.

“Helena, go up to your room, Daddy has business to attend to.”

She complies, running up the grand staircase to the second floor. She makes it up the stairs, but instead of heading to her room, she waits just by the banister overlooking the main hall, obscuring her from view. She watches as Guido and Sal walk through a tall set of doors leading to his office. The minute the door closes, Helena rushes down the stairs and presses her ear against the door.

“Sir, how can you be certain those men were after you?” she asks, crossing her arms.

“Because I knew those men, I use to employ them. Simple laborers of course, but what matters is that I knew them! It’s not like they were someone else’s men.”

Two men walk up and start pounding on the door. Helena runs away from the office door and hides under a thin display table as Guido opens the door and strides authoritatively across the hallway to answer the door, “Bullard, Stanek, what are you two doing here?!”

The two men in long leather jackets enter, “Boss, there’s a hit out for you. We heard about the shooting at Haly’s Circus and came here straight away.”

“So? Lots of men want me killed, how is this any different?”

“The hit’s on your entire family, anyone connected to the Bertinelli name.” Stanek explains.

He scratches his chin, “And who’s put out this hit, exactly?”

“We don’t know boss-”

“Well then find out! You think I take this lightly, a threat on my family?!” he’s practically shouting, and Helena ducks further into the shadow casted by the display table. She’d never seen him this angry. Guido wipes his forehead with a handkerchief, taking deep breaths, “I’m leaving you two in charge of finding whoever’s behind this. Do what you need to do.”

The men nod, and exit the building. Guido walks over to Sal, “Call Helena’s school, tell them I’m pulling her out indefinitely. It’s not safe there anymore.”

She nods, and walks into another room. The moment she’s gone, Helena runs out from her hiding place, “Father, why would anyone what to hurt us?”

He turns around, his eyes stricken with worry, “Helena! You should be in your room!”

“Father, why?!” she repeats insistently.

Guido’s eyes dart from left to right, his daughter is largely unaware of her family’s mob ties mostly due to him constantly shielding her, “Because...because, there are people out there that want our money, and they want it badly, badly enough to hurt other people to get it.”

Helena, not quite buying his story, scrunches her eyebrows in a growing sense of fear, “Is...is it because I shot that man?”

“No, no, it has nothing to do with that dear. You were just protecting yourself, is all.” he assures her.

“I was protecting you, Father!” she declares rather proudly.

“Yes, yes,” he nods, placing his hands on her shoulders, “now, I’m going to be sending you on a little vacation...to Aunt Maria’s house, in Metropolis, okay?” he explains, “You’ll stay there while Daddy takes care of some business here.”

She nods, “Okay, Father.”

Guido leads his daughter up to her room, and takes a lavender colored suitcase from her closet, “Pack anything you want to bring, you’ll leave tomorrow.”

Helena is rather unresponsive, staring at her father with large, doe-like eyes. Guido picks up on this,

“Don’t worry sweetheart, Daddy’s got everything under control, you’ll be back before you know it.”

   Helena arrives in Metropolis with her bodyguard Sal the next morning. Aunt Maria, also known as Maria Bertinelli, sister to Guido, waves to them from the train station platform. As soon as the two exit the train, Maria rushes up to Helena and pulls her into a tight hug,

“Oh, Helena sweetie, you’ve grown so much, I can’t believe you’re so big now!” she coos, squeezing her even tighter. Maria releases her niece and looks up at the stern, serious-faced Sal, “Ah, you must be her bodyguard, Sally, correct?”

Just Sal.” she informs stiffly.

“Okay...well, I have a car waiting for us just outside, and we mustn’t keep them waiting!”

The three leave the train station and Helena looks back, watching the tall, black, gothic train they’d arrived on pull out of the station.

Maria keeps a quickened pace, her three inch heels pounding against the concrete pavement. Helena smiles, she rather likes Metropolis, its clear blue skies and bright colors a stark contrast to Gotham City.

They all pile into the back of a rounded blue car, Helena sandwiched in between the two adults. The car takes off, driving through the downtown area of Metropolis. The car is surrounded by large buildings with endless panels of glass reflecting against the sunlight.

“So, I’ve found a small all girls school for you to attend. You’ll love it.” Maria tells Helena, presenting an ever-present smile that seemed to fit with the city’s mood.

“But Father said I wouldn’t be staying long.” she protests.

Maria chuckles, as if what Helena had said was funny, “Oh, you know, it’s sort of a ‘just in case’ kind of thing. We wouldn’t want you to fall behind in your studies, now would we?”

Helena sways her head back and forth, giving a noncommittal shrug. Maria hides her worry with her wide smile, but she can tell that there’s no fooling this kid. Knowing what her brother does behind his guise as a wealthy businessman, it’s no wonder the child doesn’t believe her, she’s already constantly being lied to.

The driver honks the car horn as black van speeds up and cuts in front of him. The passenger’s side window of the van opens and a man pulls his head and upper chest out of it, pulling out a pistol and shooting at the car. A scream comes from Maria as Sal pulls her and Helena down behind the front seats. A second black van pulls up next to the car, its side door sliding open and two men opening fire on the car. An array of bullets knock against the metal doors of the car, and the driver begins to lose control, swerving left and right. One of the men in the second van pulls out a molotov cocktail, lighting it on fire, he throws it at the car, the deadly weapon crashing in through the window. The entire car is set ablaze, Maria screaming in terror as the flames singe her. Sal, on the other side, grabs Helena’s arm and bursts out the other side, wrapping Helena in her arms to break her fall. From where they lay, Helena watches as the car careens out of control, tail spinning and exploding into a nearby building, the car burning from the inside out.


	3. A Tough Business

   Helena and Sal return to Gotham in the late hours of the evening. Helena remains quiet throughout the entire trip. She and Sal hid under the nearby freeway as the mobsters in the cars searched for them. Judging by their dark trenchcoats, suits, and sullen expressions, these were clearly men from Gotham. To her surprise, Helena hadn’t cried once during the entire ordeal, and luckily most of the men presumed them dead from the car crash anyway.

“Can you speak?” Sal asks from the safety of the train car as it pulls into the Gotham station.

“Yeah.” it’s barely a whisper, but it’s just enough to ensure Sal that she hasn’t gone into shock.

“Good.” Sal replies bluntly, crossing her arms.

Guido is waiting for them at the station, surrounded by several large men in pinstripe suits. Helena runs into his arms, and as soon as her face is pressed against Guido’s chest, she finally snaps, sobbing into his shirt.

“It’s okay, Daddy’s got you. It’s alright.” he assures her, patting her on the back.

Holding her hand, he leads her away from the station, Sal and Guido’s men in tow.

   They arrive back at the Bertinelli estate to find two guests already waiting for them.

“Carmine? What are you doing here?” Guido asks, “Oh, hello Sofia.”

The teenaged girl smiles, “Hello Uncle Guido, hi Helena.”

Helena gives a small smile back, nodding her head.

“Guido, how about you and I speak in your office?” the quiet, yet powerful Carmine Falcone asks, “I’m sure the girls will keep each other company.”

Guido nods, “Of course.”

They pace into their office, with Sal following them inside. Sofia sits down on one of the plush couches in the small waiting area,

“So, I heard about your aunt, I’m...I’m sorry about your loss.”

Helena’s expression remains unchanged, her glassy purple eyes staring directly ahead, “Thank you. She’s...in a better place now.”

Sofia plays with a lock of her curly, reddish brown hair, “So, is your family going to end up like Bruce’s?”

Helena jolts upright, “How dare you!”

“It was just a question.”

Helena balls up her fists, and sits down in the chair opposite Sofia, “Of course...just a question.”

“Speaking of Bruce, have you seen him lately? You know, ever since his parents passed?”

She shakes her head, “No, he hasn’t been attending school and Father pulled me out recently.”

Sofia frowns, “Aww, that’s too bad.”

Helena can’t help but raise an eyebrow. Something in Sofia’s tone is not very convincing.

“You know, you and Bruce should get together, form a club or something.”

“His parents were killed. I could never imagine what that’s like.”

She smirks, “Oh really? Then where’s your mother?”

Helena crosses her arms and squints at her, “Where’s yours?”

Guido and Falcone exit his office, with Sal remaining inside. Falcone straightens his gray suit,

“Don’t say I didn’t try to help you Guido. You think Maroni’s going to be there for you in your hour of need? Just wait and see.” his tone is controlled, but every word stings with malice.

“I appreciate the offer Carmine, but I think I can protect my own family.” he replies, trying to sound polite, but also unable to hide his annoyance and offense.

Falcone pats his daughter on the back, “C’mon sweetie. How about we go and get some ice cream?”

“Oh, of course Daddy!” she smiles, although she seems just a little too old to be saying something like that.

They walk out of the house together, and Sal walks out of the office to close the front door.

“What were you and Uncle Carmine talking about?” Helena asks almost immediately after the door closes.

He shakes it off, “Oh, nothing dear, just some business stuff.”

“A lot of the ‘uncles’ seem to be threatening you lately.”

Guido gets down on one knee and clasps her shoulders, “Now listen here, sweetheart, they’re not threatening me, they’re just concerned, alright? You’re my little girl, and those men are your uncles, how could you say those things about them?”

She stands, “But they are threatening you Father! How can you not see that?”

He looks away from her, staring off into the distance. Helena gets a look of worry on her face, he knows these are threats, but how could he tell his daughter that?

“Father...please, just tell me what’s wrong.” she pleads innocently, clutching a fist to her chest.

He continues to lean away from her, he can’t hide the family business from her forever, but the right moment to tell her never seems to present itself,

“Uncle Carmine offered to protect our family from harm, but at a price, a price I wasn’t willing to pay.”

“What did he want?”

“That doesn’t matter Helena, what matters is that it wasn’t worth it, and you should never take a rotten deal.”

Helena pauses for a moment, staring toward the ground as her eyes shift back and forth, “Father, do you think Uncle Carmine is responsible for Aunt Maria’s death?”

Guido opens his mouth, about to protest, but, as Helena’s eyes light up with an accusatory fire, he realizes that his little girl is starting to leave him,

“Get to your room right now!” he orders, but she remains still, “You heard me! Room, now!”

“I’ve done nothing wrong Fathe-”

“I said now!”

She runs to the stairs, jogging up as fast as her black Mary Janes can carry her. She scurries into her room and shuts the door. She jumps up onto her lavish double bed colored a cream pink with lacey tapestry curtains surrounding it. Her room itself follows the same frilly, pastel pattern. She looks out her window into the green lawn below. She’d ask her father if she could go outside to pick flowers on the small hill just outside the property, or maybe take a walk in the hedge maze, but she knows he wouldn’t allow it. With the Bertinelli family now on high alert, he wouldn’t dare let her wander around on her own.

“Helena? It’s your bodyguard, Sal.” a mid-low, firm voice calls out from the other side of the door.

She gets off of her bed to answer the door. She opens it to find Sal, standing with her legs apart, her hands on her waist,

“Your father wants you in your room for the rest of the afternoon.” she tells her, standing by the doorway.

“Fine.” she grumbles, closing the door.

Sal catches the door with her foot, “Look kid, for someone with such a rich life, you’ve sure got a lot of attitude. Show your father some respect.”

Her eyes narrow, and she looks up at Sal, “There’s a difference between respect and obedience,” she lets go of the door handle, “and I won’t idly stand by while Father risks his livelihood trying to catch this killer.”

“Your father knows what he’s doing, he doesn’t need your help,” she retorts, “he’s perfectly fine.”

Helena raises an eyebrow, “Oh, is that so? Then why does he feel the need to keep it a secret? And be honest, you were in the room with Father and Uncle Carmine, was what they were discussing truly ‘safe’?”

Sal crosses your arms, “Wow kid, you’ve got more of a spine than I thought, why aren’t you ever like that around your father?”

“I can’t,” she frowns, “I’m his ‘little girl’, remember?” before she shuts the door behind her.


End file.
